GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE CELEBRATED IN WINNER’S ROSTER AT SYDNEY SCIENCE FICTION FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS NIGHT

Beniamino Cantena’s debut feature VERA DE VERDAD and hometown favourite Jonathan Adam’s charming short DAILY DRIVER have taken Best Film honours in their respective categories in The 2021 Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival, held Sunday at the Actors Centre Australia.

The films led an eclectic roster of winners selected from the 21 features and 78 short films made eligible as part of the festival's first ever foray into ‘hybrid programming’. The 4-day live event wrapped Sunday 14th, while the online program will run via the Xerb streaming platform until Thursday 25th.  

An Italian/Chilean co-production that comes to Sydney via festival placements in Torino, Trieste, Brussels and Chuncheon, Vera De Verdad tells a deeply moving story of soul transference and shared destiny and stars Marcelo Alonso and Maria Gastini, both nominated in their respective lead acting categories. (Pictured, right: Vera de Verdad director, Beniamino Cantena) 

The Best Film category is named in honour of the late production designer Ron Cobb, whose conceptual artistry is central to the iconic status of such works as Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian, Alien, Aliens, The Abyss, Total Recall and the TV series Firefly. Cobb married an Australian woman and lived in Sydney from the 1970s until his passing in September, 2020.    

Other feature film winners included Ben Tedesco, crowned Best Actor for his self-directed performance in the lockdown time-loop drama NO TOMORROW; Peruvian actress Haydeé Cáceres for her wordless but wondrous lead turn in Aldo Salvini’s MOON HEART; and, exciting multi-hyphenate Carlson Young for her unique vision as director of the festival’s Opening Night film, THE BLAZING WORLD (pictured, left).

Also in contention for Director and Actor trophies, Daily Driver took top short film honours but ceded other categories to U.K. filmmaker Ryan Andrews (Best Director for HIRAETH) and French leading man Denis Hubleur (Best Actor for CAUSA SUI). Melbourne-based Jessica Tanner earned Best Actress for her blistering turn as the shell-shocked victim of cyclical domestic abuse in Andrew Jaksch’s controversy-courting drama TODAY.

The Audience Award winners were Eddie Arya’s RISEN, an ambitious alien invasion epic that filmed in Sydney and Canada over a four year period, and Spanish effects master Jorge Corpi’s CGI short-film thrill-ride, ELLIPSIS.

The 2021 Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival ‘Virtual Festival Experience’ will continue until November 25 here: https://xerb.tv/channel/sydneysciencefictionfilmfestival/virtual-events

The full list of award nominees and winners are:              

BEST ACTOR in a SHORT FILM

• Ryan Shrime, ORBITAL CHRISTMAS
• (WINNER) Denis Hubleur, CAUSA SUI
• Eric Whitten, PRISONER #1616
• David Lee Huynh, SOLITARY
• Andrew Scott, COGNITION
• Callum McManis, DAILY DRIVER

BEST ACTRESS SHORT FILM

• Akiva Pacey, GIRL ON THE MOON
• Liz Cha, MARY’S ROOM
• (WINNER) Jessica Tanner, TODAY
• Olivia Ross, HIRAETH
• Irene Fernández, FAITH
• Lauren Grimson, MAYA

BEST ACTOR FEATURE FILM

• Marcelo Alonso, VERA DE VERDAD
• Tony Brockman, A GUIDE TO DATING AT THE END OF THE WORLD
• (WINNER) Ben Tedesco, NO TOMORROW
• Richard Rennie, CLAW
• Tom England, REPEAT
• Wang Ziyi, ANNULAR ECLIPSE

BEST ACTRESS FEATURE FILM

• Kerith Atkinson,  A GUIDE TO DATING AT THE END OF THE WORLD
• Chynna Walker, CLAW
• Carlson Young, THE BLAZING WORLD
• Lois Temel, LIGHTSHIPS
• (WINNER) Haydeé Cáceres, MOON HEART
• Marta Gastini, VERA DE VERDAD

BEST DIRECTOR SHORT FILM

• Camille Hollet-French, FREYA
• Jonathan Adams, DAILY DRIVER
• Carol Butrón, FAITH
• (WINNER) Ryan Andrews, HIRAETH
• Andrew Jaksch, TODAY
• Oliver Crawford, EVOLUTIONARY 

BEST DIRECTOR FEATURE FILM

• Kelsey Egan, GLASSHOUSE
• Aldo Salvini, MOON HEART
• Eddie Arya, RISEN
• Zhang Chi, ANNULAR ECLIPSE
• (WINNER) Carlson Young, THE BLAZING WORLD
• Beniamino Catena, VERA DE VERDAD 

BEST SHORT FILM

• MAYA
• (WINNER) DAILY DRIVER (Producers: Jonathan Adams, Andrew Boland)
• HIRAETH
• FREYA
• REMOTE VIEWING
• EINSTEIN TELESCOPE 

THE RON COBB AWARD - BEST FEATURE FILM

• (WINNER) VERA DE VERDAD
• MOON HEART
• RISEN
• ANNULAR ECLIPSE
• GLASSHOUSE
• THE BLAZING WORLD  

AUDIENCE AWARD

• Feature Film - RISEN (Producer: Eddie Arya)
• Short Film - ELLIPSIS (Producer: Jorge Corpi)